Build Your 'Workbench' is an intermediate class, designed to help hand-tool woodworkers develop the next set of skills and setup that can further their home woodworking practice. Conceived in a similar vein to 'Build Your Toolbox,' with a balance of in-class learning and at-home work, this course is meant to build upon skills and tools learned in the initial class.

With the help of Japanese hand-tools, and borrowing from the Japanese woodworking tradition, together we will first make a planing beam—cut and flattened by hand from thick poplar stock—with adjustable friction-fit stops. Next, we'll begin to build a pair of lightweight but sturdy workhorses. The project will allow us to cover how to mill reference faces and lay out structural joinery. Each woodworker will also be able to customize the workhorses somewhat to suit their height and workspace requirements. As with the toolbox, the goal won't be to finish the workhorses in class, but with the help of the planing beam, the rest of the build can be completed at home at your own pace.

With your planing beam set on solid workhorses, a few clamps and wood planks, you'll have a sturdy workbench that can be assembled in minutes, and just as easily broken down into parts and tucked into a corner or closet.

For the class, students will be required to bring their kit from Build Your 'Toolbox' (240mm ryoba saw, 12mm chisel, 48mm kanna handplane, mallet, hammer, square, folding ruler, sharpening supplies, etc...) On top of this, some additional tools may be recommended, e.g. a larger plane (58-70mm), larger chisel (24-30mm), and a mortising gauge.

*Cost of materials is included in the registration fee for the class, but a nominal adjustment may be needed depending on shifting market rates and tariffs in the lead-up to the session.